The Circle Vest

I love to knit. I knit almost every day. I can see myself knitting for the rest of my life. But, it has become clear to me that writing about my knitting projects is not something I have a heart for anymore. From now on I'll be keeping project notes on Ravelry only and blogging about day-to-day happenings on my photo blog, One Snap. Thank you for following Wool Windings all these years. I'm a better knitter because of your encouragement.

The last project featured on this blog is a very cleverly designed vest called Circle Vest.


Yarn: Noro Silk Garden


Color: 267 Taupes/Blue


Modification: Added a button for a better fit in the front.


The armholes are finished with slip-stitch crochet.


The back is the star of the show.

More notes and pictures here.

Baby Blanket

Free Pattern: Sunny Baby Blanket
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft
Needles: US 8
Notes on Ravelry

Take a Look

At first glance you might think these are regular mittens. But take a closer look and you'll notice the thumb is open.


Then look at the palm side and you will see that these are indeed fingerless mittens.


How cool is that!

Pattern: Negative Space
Source: Knitting New Mittens and Gloves by Robin Melanson
Yarn: Reynold's Lopi
Needles: US 10 & 10.5 DPNs

The unique design of this "half-glove with a tongue," allows the back of the hand to be covered for warmth, while the fingers remain free.

There are many fun elements in the construction of these mittens, including provisional cast-on, I-cord bind-off and applied I-cord (the cuff is an I-cord coil).

Everything I needed to know about working a technique that was new to me was explained, so I didn't have to go to another source for help.

I look forward to knitting other mittens and gloves from this book. There are 28 designs to choose from...I like them all.

Not Just a Neck Warmer

The beauty of this neck gaiter is its simplicity and versatility.



Worn as designed, it's long enough to pull up over your mouth and nose if needed. You can, of course, knit it to any length you want. The pattern suggests 8". Mine is 8.5".



Fold it in half for an extra thick neck warmer. I wore it this way for fishing on Friday night and it kept me toasty warm.



Doubled up like this, it can also be a headband/ear warmer. Two layers of wool did a excellent job of blocking the cool breeze on Saturday.



If you want more coverage, wear it as an open-topped hat.


I may have to knit another one, so I can wear two at once.

Free Pattern: Ribbed Neck Gaiter
Yarn: Araucanaia Nature Wool
Color: Am 0320
Needles: US 7, 16" circular

Something for Sue

I couldn't send Mark hand-knit mittens without making something for Sue, also.

Free Pattern: Keyhole Scarf
Yarn: Ballybrae Knitting Worsted by Brunswick (discontinued)
Color: Sky Blue Tweed
Needles: US 10

I'm modeling the scarf before it was washed. After washing it, the stitches straightened out nicely, which was good. But as I was laying it out to dry, I noticed a big mistake. It seems when making the keyhole, I bound off 12 stitches, but only cast on 10 on the next row. I was two ribs short of the right number on the bottom six inches of the scarf.

I don't know if Sue would have ever noticed this mistake, but I couldn't live with it. After the scarf was dry, I ripped back to the keyhole and fixed it.


This rustic tweed yarn is some I inherited from my mother-in-law. I think she would like the fact that one daughter-in-law knit with her yarn for another daughter-in-law.


It's almost like she's giving this gift too and that makes it extra special.

PS. Received word from Mark that the mittens fit.

The Mitten Contract

Brother-in-law Mark needed a pair of wool mittens to wear under his chopper mitts. He asked if I could knit him a pair. I said, "Sure, send me a tracing of your hands." And with that, the mitten contract began.

I was warned in advance that his hands were "strong, but delicate with long graceful fingers often associated with concert pianists." When I got the tracing, I knew I should order two skeins of yarn!


I decided to go with Wonderfully Woolly Worsted Weight from Green Mountain Spinnery in natural grey. It seemed appropriate to use 100% New England Wool since Mark lives in Vermont and besides, I've always wanted to try this yarn. When it arrived, I knew I had made the right choice.


Using Ann Budd's book, The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns, and advice from John, I knit a pair of mittens that John says are "just right." If it weren't for the fact that they are a little too big for him, I'm not sure he'd let me send them to his brother.


Knit at 6 stitches per inch, these mittens should be hard-wearing and warm. The 1x1 ribbed cuff is longer than typical for regular mittens, so that it will extend beyond the chopper mitts.


Extra length was added to the hand and thumb to accommodate Mark's extra large hands.


I mailing them off today.

I sure hope they fit.

Westminster Vest

My vest is finished and it's actually cold enough to wear it. Yippee!


Westminster Vest
Designed by Betsy Campbell for the Wooly West
Pattern Purchased at Black Sheep Wool Co. in Salt Lake City, Utah
More project details and pictures here.

Fisherman's Neck Gaiter

For my favorite fisherman.



Fisherman's Rib Stitch in the Round
Free Pattern with Photo Tutorial
Project Details

New for 2009

The back and two fronts of my vest are finished and have been joined by three-needle bind off at the shoulders. Today I will sew the side seams and begin knitting the band along the armhole edges. The job of seaming will be all the more fun using my new Gingher scissors adorned with cross-stitch fob. My neighbor gave these to me for Christmas and I love them!

The photo above is being featured today on my photo journal, One Snap. It's a blog based on Project 365. The idea is to take and post one photo, every day, for a year. One Snap will be my primary place to blog in 2009.

Posting here at Wool Windings will be sporadic and will most likely be about knitting only, perhaps only photos of finished objects with details posted on Ravelry. I'm still debating what I want to do.

I've considered using Ravelry exclusively as my knitting journal, but there is a part of me that's not ready to give up this blog entirely and that's because of all the friendships I've made here. So, I'll experiment with a couple of ideas until I find out which works best for using my time wisely--one of my goals for 2009.

Our Week in Matagorda

This was the first year that neither of the kids were home for Christmas, so John and I decided to spend the week at the travel trailer in Matagorda. We did not put up a tree. The only decorations were two poinsettia place mats and a Christmas candle.

Inside the Trailer

The weather was not the best. From Sunday to Christmas Day it went from really cold, to warm, to cold, to warm again. Each front that came through brought rain. Low clouds obscured the sun most of the time. And one day the fog was so thick that John and I walked right past each other on the beach and didn't know it.

Foggy Day at the Beach

John's big Christmas gift this year was a fishing light.

Shining a strong beam of light on the water at night attracts the bait, which in turn, attracts the fish. On the nights it wasn't too cold, I joined John for nighttime fishing on the river. Everything I caught was too small to keep, but John caught one keeper trout.

My big Christmas gift was a deck we built for the trailer. I love the way it turned out! It provided us with a nice clean, dry place to sit and watch the comings and goings on the river.


I passed on the kayak fishing this time since the weather wasn't that good, but John didn't let the cold and wind stop him. He caught two nice redfish, which gave me an opportunity to photograph the pelicans at the fish cleaning table.

Patiently Waiting

Fighting for Fish Scraps

Mine! Mine! All Mine!

We left Matagorda sooner than we planned when we got word that my grandmother passed away in Oklahoma. She was 93 years old and a faithful Christian. Though her passing was sad for us, it was a victory for her. I am confident she is in a better place and I am comforted.

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. ~ 1Cor. 15:57

Z is for Zinnia

Dad always planted zinnias near the vegetable garden to attract the bees and butterflies.


I remember being allowed to pick zinnia bouquets whenever I wanted, which is probably why I love this flower today.


The full, double blossoms are my favorite.


The bright colors make me smile.


I'm dreaming of a zinnia garden for next year, like the one from my childhood, with butterflies and bees and cut zinnia bouquets for the table all summer long.

At This Rate...

...I don't expect to finish my vest until the end of the year, if even then.


I've only managed to knit a few inches on it since the last time I showed you. Knitting has not been a priority on my list of things to do in December, though I do wish I had this vest finished so I could wear it. I could have used it several times already this season.

John gave me this funny little sheep the other day. I think he can sense that I need some cheering up. It's been gray and dreary here all week and some last week, too. I don't do well with gray and dreary, but the weatherman promises a bit of sunshine today, so things are looking up.

Next week we'll be hanging out at the travel trailer in Matagorda. Christmas dinner might very well be grilled trout or redfish or if we're really lucky, flounder.

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!

Y is for Yardstick

Do three yardsticks count as a collection? If so, then I have one.


According to The Book of Alternative Records, Ing. Arnulf Bietsch from Bolsterlang, Germany holds the current world record for a yardstick collection. He has collected more than 30,000 different yardsticks which he stores in a special room with air conditioning.

I keep a yardstick near my knitting spot. I like to use it or a 12-inch ruler to measure knitted fabric. I find it easier and more accurate than a retractable tape measure for measuring small items; measuring floppy fabric with a floppy tape measure can be cumbersome for me. And I always have a yardstick handy for blocking.

For anything over 36 inches a tape measure is best, of course. But, I've even found a way around that for measuring scarves: A good length for a scarf is 60 inches which happens to be the exact length of my dining room table. When the scarf reaches end-to-end, I know it's long enough.

Never lose sight of the fact that the most important yardstick of your success will be how you treat other people--your family, friends, and coworkers, and even strangers you meet along the way. ~Barbara Bush

Stay Warm; Wear Wool

Days like this call for wool.

It was damp and windy with feels-like temperatures in the low 20s...and it snowed! Can you see the perfectly formed snowflakes on my coat?

When I pulled out My So Called Scarf (details here) to wear yesterday morning, I decided I didn't like the looks of the cast-on and the bind-off edges, so I added fringe. Much better.

My wool/silk scarf, wool hat & mittens, wool socks and wool coat came in handy. I really felt sorry for all those people wearing acrylic.

Coming Attraction

Soon to be featured as a finished object is a vest I started in mid-November.

I bought the pattern at Black Sheep Wool Co. this summer. The plan was to knit it with yarn from my stash, but nothing seemed right. For my birthday, John treated me to a trip to Twisted Yarns and I chose this pretty indigo-colored wool by Imperial Stock Ranch. I cast on right away, but got side-tracked with knitting hats and most recently a lace scarf.

As you can see, I'm back on track and nearly to the finish line--only one more front to knit and then the bands. I could knock it out in a few days, if I had more time to devote to knitting. But with things getting busy as they usually do this time of year, I'll be satisfied with getting it finished by Christmas week.

Here's a close-up of the stitch pattern: ribs and seed stitch. And for Jean, I've included the Scotch Bonnet I found on the beach this weekend.

One December Weekend

We had the beach to ourselves on Friday, due the weather, I'm sure. Though it was cold and gray, my spirits were lifted just the same as if the sun had been shining. I found some pretty shells including my first unbroken Scotch bonnet and John picked up a few sea beans to add to his growing collection.

Beachcombing

The next day dawned bright and sunny, though cold to start with. John went kayak fishing early, but I decided to stay in until it warmed up a bit. An hour or so later, I layered on the wool and took a walk around the RV park. The light was just right for reflections; I had some fun with the camera.

Colorado River

Chilly Morning Boat Ride

In the Wake

Marina Reflection

By lunch it had warmed up enough that nothing more than a long-sleeve shirt was needed. The fish weren't biting from the river bank, so we went to the beach for more beachcombing. It was so beautiful, we stayed until just before sunset.

Matagorda Beach

Then, back to the travel trailer where John grilled two of the speckled trout he caught the night before for our supper, along with potatoes and roasted corn. For dessert, we toasted marshmallows over the coals, while sitting under the starry sky and planning our return next weekend.